Look to China to Glimpse the Future of Cities

The era of American cities such as Chicago and New York leading the way in urban innovation went out with the close of the 20th century, says Dustin Roasa. Its China's turn to show the world what the city of the future will look like.

August 14, 2012, 10am PDT | Jonathan Nettler | @nettsj

Although his colleague at Foreign Policy, Peter Calthorpe, cautions against China's urban future mirroring America's sprawling past, Roasa sees China as the world's new leader in urban technology. Exploring ideas that run the gamut from pie-in-the-sky to already implemented, Roasa looks at examples of urban innovations such as modular skyscrapers, traffic-jumping buses, and cutting-edge recycling.

One area in which the Chinese are already aggressive is the expansion the country's share of electric vehicles:

"Hoping to become the global leader in electric vehicles, the Chinese government wants 500,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on China's roads by 2015, and more than 5 million by 2020. It is already backing these aspirations with a range of subsidies, including up to $8,800 for every electric vehicle purchased by taxi companies and local governments."

"As a result, China has more electric taxis in operation than anywhere in the world and is likely to extend its lead."

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Cities of the Future: Made in China

Published on Monday, August 13, 2012 in Foreign Policy